Story #1
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/101410dnmetexide.2560ee5.html
Here, the second paragraph serves as our nut graf. It’s where you get the whole “in a nutshell” summary of what the story is mainly about. The first paragraph (the lead) gives you the gist of information (part of the 5 W’s and the H), and the next paragraph (the nut graf) expands upon that with specific information.
Story #2
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/101410dnmetpledge.18a442c4c.html
In this story, the lead is actually the nut graf. It’s fairly detailed in giving the 5 W’s and the H, and it serves as that “in a nutshell” part of the story that allows the reader to be well-informed on the content of the story.
On your own
Find three hard news stories in which you are able to identify the nut graf correctly. Please make sure these are NEWS stories—meaning it has to be reported NOW. It can’t wait until later; it won’t be newsworthy later. In the column on the left, put the names of the stories you find. In the column on the right, put the nut graf—yes, fully write these out. If you need extra room, you can always use the space at the bottom of the page.
